Market intelligence for international student recruitment from ICEF

An agent’s perspective on recruiting in Nepal

Nepal’s outbound student numbers continued their rapid growth trajectory in 2018. Following on from strong gains the previous year, many global and regional study destinations reported a large increase in Nepalese enrolments for 2018. In Australia, for example, where Nepal is now the third-largest sending market (after only China and India), student numbers increased by 51% year-over-year from 2017 and total Nepalese enrolment in Australia is now approaching 50,000 students. Japan saw strong growth last year as well. Nepal is also the third-ranked sending market for Japan (after only China and Vietnam), and the country’s institutions welcomed a 13% increase in Nepalese numbers last year – for a total enrolment of 24,300 in 2018 – which followed a 10% increase the year before. And colleges and schools in the US saw their Nepalese enrolments increase by more than 14% last year to surpass 13,000 students. Nepal held its position last year as the US’s second-largest sending market in South and Central Asia, after only India. As even these three examples reflect, the number of outbound students from Nepal now certainly exceeds 80,000. There are no reliable figures as to the total number of Nepalese students abroad, but even just working backwards from the data reported by a few top study destinations paints a picture of a rapidly growing market and one of the most important South Asian source countries for international students. We recently sat down with Manish Dahal, the director of the Kathmandu-based education agency May Education Consultancy for his insights on this rapidly growing market. As he notes in our opening interview segment below, “The driving factors behind the high demand is that international degrees matter in Nepal. [Employers] give the first priority to people educated abroad.” Mr Dahal explains that Nepalese students are considering a wider range of study destinations these days, including those within the region, notably India, where Nepalese students do not require a study visa. Even so, the success rate of Nepalese students in obtaining student visas for other major host countries, such as Australia and the US, remains a major factor in the appeal of those destinations as well. In our final interview segment below, Mr Dahal recommends that educators visit Nepal to build their local networks and learn about the market firsthand. Looking ahead, he sees continued growth for the future because of the very high value that the country’s students, parents, and employers place on international degrees. For additional background, please see:

Most Recent

  • US Office of Management and Budget grants budget reprieve to key exchange programmes Read More
  • Canada: How is study permit processing taking shape this year? Read More
  • UK study visa grants strengthening in first half of 2025 Read More

Most Popular

  • Which countries will contribute the most to global student mobility in 2030? Read More
  • Research shows link between study abroad and poverty alleviation  Read More
  • Beyond the Big Four: How demand for study abroad is shifting to destinations in Asia and Europe Read More

Because you found this article interesting

US Office of Management and Budget grants budget reprieve to key exchange programmes In a highly unusual intervention in an area of Congressional authority, the US Office of Management and Budget...
Read more
Canada: How is study permit processing taking shape this year? There are two important and recurring themes in our conversations with education agents over the last few months...
Read more
UK study visa grants strengthening in first half of 2025 A 21 August 2025 data release from the UK Home Office shows that student visa grants were up...
Read more
Asian destinations show their strength in latest ranking of student cities The QS Best Student Cities 2026 rankings were released last month, and, for the first time ever, Seoul...
Read more
Many foreign students want to stay in Germany but need more help with the transition to life after study Early findings from an extensive survey of international students in Germany finds that two-thirds would like to stay...
Read more
How post-study work rights can make or break the return on investment for study abroad The following is a guest post contributed by Tim O’Brien and Claire Clifford from INTO University Partnerships, where...
Read more
Australia prioritises amendments to ESOS Act in legislative agenda The Australian government has signalled that amendments to the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Act 2000 are back...
Read more
UK’s stiffening compliance regime already having an impact on international student recruitment It would be fair to say that compliance is top of mind for international educators in the United...
Read more
What are you looking for?
Quick Links